Well-drilling apparatus



July 1, 11929. P. M. MOSS WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21, 1924 glwue nfo'o my MO attoinmqa {PERRY M. MOSS, 01E HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

LII-DRILLING APPARATUS.

This invention relates to well drilling equipment and refers particularly ,to a device for tightening or breaking connections upon well-casing or tubing as the tubing or casing is being lowered or withdrawn from the well-hole.

In the construction of wells it is necessary to employ various sections of tubing or casing which are connected together by either a collar or tool-joint and lowered unit by unit down the well-hole. It is also necessary at certain times to withdraw either the tubing or casing from the well-hole and as the same is withdrawn it is necessary to break the connections between the different sections. It is the practice in the art when either such connections are to be firmly tightened or when it is necessary to break or uncouple the two tightly connected sections, to employ certain tongs for gripping the section to be broken or tightened. Mechanical power is then applied to the handle of the chain tongs from a line one end of which is secured to the handle of the tongs and the other end of which is connected to a spool or cat head. The cat head is mounted upon the customary line shaft of the rotary draw works and driven from an englue or motor. The cat heads heretofore provided for this purpose have been carried at the ends of the line shaft where the cat heads are out of line with the well-hole where the casing connections are to be tight-' ened or broken. Further, the cat heads before employed have been so constructed that it is necessary to wind or tighten the line thereto each time the power is to be applied through the line to the casing tongs and also necessary to unwind the line from the head vide a device for tightening or breaking casing connectionsfin which device such a cat head is employed as will automatically unhppllcation filed January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687305.

wind or release the line drawn or wound up thereon after each tightening or breaking operation.

Another object of this invention is to provldea device in which the cat head of a well drilling equipment is positioned upon the line shaft of the draw works in direct alignment w1th the position where the pipe or casing connections are to be made or broken.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the description of a preferred apparatus embodylng the present invention and will be apparent from the use or practice of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings one example of an apparatus embodying the invention is illustrated in which Figure 1 is a plan of the cat head proper showing its connection with the line shaft.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a drilling apparatus showing the arrangement and combination of the cat head with a familiar form of well apparatus.

In the drawings 1 generally represents an engine or motor such as is customarily employed for driving a draw works 2 of the drilling equipment. In the drawing the engine 1 1s illustrated as comprising a twin cylinder steam engine; however the specific construction or type of the engine does not form a part of the present invention. The engine 1 of the apparatus is provided with a chaindrive 3 adapted to drive a horizontal line shaft 4 of the customary rotary draw works 2 of an oil well equipment from a sprocket wheel 5. The line shaft 4 of the draw works is supported as is customary on bearing blocks 6 secured to one side of vertical timbers 7 and is disposed at a substantial distance above the ground so as to provide room below the line shaft for a drum shaft 8 which carries the drum 9 which is'employed as a reel or spool for raising and lowering certain de-.

vices and tools down a well hole concentric with a rotary table, such as indicated at 10. The drum shaft 8 of the draw works is likewise supported on the vertical timbers 7, bearing blocks 11 being provided for that urpose. 12 indicates a chain drive connection etween the line shaft 4 of the draw works and the drum shaft 8. One or more of such chain drives may be provided and are preferably controlled by one or more clutches 13 mounted upon the line shaft 4. The rotary table 10 of the drilling apparatus may be driven in any preferred manner but preferably is provided with the usual chain drive 14 attached to the line shaft 4.

The parts of the apparatus before described are generally found in the present rotary drilling equipment. It will be observed that the drum 9 of the draw works is positioned in alignment with the center of the rotary table 10 and between the table 10 and engine 1 where it is in position to operate a line pass ing over the center of the customary well derrick (not shown) and operate the tools and equipment while maintaining a line in correct alignment on the drum.

Fixed to opposed ends of the line shaft 4 of the mechanism plain spools 15 will be observed which are customarily'referred to in the art as cat heads and employed for winding or unwinding a line connected from the cat heads 15 to the center of the rotary table 10 and there attached to the handle of certain tongs secured to well casing or tubing so that by reeling up the line the power of the engine 1 may be applied in tightening or breaking the couplings of the casing or tubing connections. employing such cat heads, each time the power of the engine is to be applied to the tongs, to wind several turns of one end of the line around the cat head 15 and then carry the other end of the line to the table where it is.

tied to the chain tongs. It will be observed that essentially with this apparatus the tension on the line from the cat head 15 to the table 10 is exerted at a substantial angle to the plane of rotation of the cat heads 15. It will also be readily apprehended that each time such a cat head is employed for exerting a pull on tongs at the table 10 it will be necessary to remove the line from the head 15 so that the line may be again paid out to reach the table 10. l

The difficulties encountered with employing such cat heads 15 are overcome by my improvements in such drilling equipment. I have conceived that by mounting a cat head 16 at or near the center of the line shaft 4 of the draw works the cat head will be positioned in alignment with the rotary table 10. I also provide a means for disconnectingthe cat head 16 from the line shaft 4 so that the line shaft 4 may be driven without rotating the cat head 16 and thus one end of the cat head line may be permanently secured to the cat head and does not require a separate attachment each time the cat head is to be employed. This is accomplished by mounting the cat head to rotate freely with respect to the line shaft 4 and providing a clutch 17 shiftable longitudinally along the shaft 4 by a It is the common practice when 16 from driving engagement with the shaft 4. The cat head is located in alignment with the well, that is to say, a line passing from the well to the cat head should be substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation of the cat head. a

I also provide means for automatically un-' windingthelinefromthe cat head 16 upon releaseofthecathead 16 from the said line shaft 4. For this purpose the cat head is divided into two separated spools or parts 22 and 23, separated by a central collar or diaphragm 19 and the drum of the cat head is provided with continuous helical grooves 20 of a size to fit the cat head line. Through the diaphragm 19 an opening 21 is provided so that the line may pass from one side of the drum through and to the other side of the drum.

In use, one end of the line istaken from the side 22 of the cat head and passed over pulleys 24 and 25 spaced so that a weight 26 may be suspended from the end of the line and outside of the customary well derrick. The

other end of the line is received from the sec-' tion 23 of the cat head and is of sufficient length to extend beyond the rotary table 10 and be einployed'for attachment to various pipetongs.

In use the weight 26 normally maintains the cat head 16 in such position that the line can be readily engaged with tongs at the table 10. Upon attachment of the line to the tongs or device at the table 10, the lever 18 is operated to connect the cat head to the line shaft 4 whereupon the power of the engine 1 may be employed for breaking or tightening the connections as has hitherto been done by means of the heads 15. The lever 18 may then be operated to release the cat head 16 from driving engagement with the line shaft 4 whereupon the weight 26 will automatically reverse the rotation of the cat head 16 to restore the cat .head to its original position where the end of the cat head line may then readily be re-engaged with the tongs or other devices at the center of the table 10.

7 It will thus be seen that I have provided a. drilling equipment by which it is possible to break or tighten' casing or tubing connections at a well hole without connecting and disconnecting/the lines from the reeYor cat head as in the prior apparatus. Moreover, I am enabled by the present invention to obtain a substantially direct or straight pull upon the reel or cat head during the tightening or breaking operation. Furthermore, the device of the present invention will automati-, cally unwind the coils when the tongs are returned to the normal position where the cat head is in position to repeat the forward pull on the tongs. l

The arrows in Figure 1 indicate how the line is reeved about the parts 22 and 23 to cause the pulling of one end (2f the cable lever 18 for making or releasing the cat head to unwind the other end.

\Vhile the device herein described is well suited for the purposes of the present invention, it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific details of construction or arrangement of parts as various modifications may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the invention. This invention is of the scope set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rotary draw works for a well, having a cable-drum in combination with a lineshai't having a cat-head loosely mounted on the line-shaft and in alignment with the well, a clutch on the line-shaft with a clutch lever for enabling the line-shaft to rotate the cat-head at will. a line having coils wrapped on the eat-head and adapted to be attached to pipe tongs for breaking the joints of the well-casing, said line having coils wrapped in a reverse direction from the first named coils, an extension running from the cat-head and carrying a counterweight, said clutch enabling the line-shaft to rotate the cat-head in a direction to pull the pipe tongs forwardly and toward the cat-head and said counterweight operating to rotate the cat-head in a reverse direction when the clutch is open to pay out the line to the pipe tongs when the same are returned to their starting position.

2. A rotary draw works for a well, having a cable-drum in combination with a line-shaft having a cat-head loosely mounted on the line-shaft and in alignment with the well, said cat-head having two spools with a collar separating the same, a clutch on the lineshaft for enabling the line shaft to rotate the cat-head, a line having coils on one of the said spools and passing through said collar and having coils on the other of said spools, one end of said line being adapted for attachment to pipe tongs for breaking casing joints, the other end of said line leading from the cat-head and carrying a counterweight, said clutch enabling the line-shaft to rotate the cat-head in a direction to pull the pipe tongs forwardly and toward the cat-head, and said counterweight operating to rotate the cat-headinareverse direction when the clutch is opened when the pipe tongs are swung back to their starting position.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 12th day of January, 19:24.

' PERRY M. MOSS. 

